| Abstracts
& Bios
How
to Translate for the Healthcare Consumer:
A Hands-on Workshop
This workshop will address issues of importance in translating for
the largest segment of the U.S. medical translation market: the
consumer of healthcare information. It will consist of discussions
and practical exercises to familiarize translators with the unique
challenges presented by medical documents written for the patient.
Some of the topics to be covered include: using the appropriate
register; protecting patients' rights; following government regulations;
and making sure that a translation reflects the purpose of the document.
A major focus will be the criteria used by major hospitals and medical
research institutions in reviewing translations intended for their
patient populations.
Maria
A. Cornelio is
the Director of the Hispanic Research and Recruitment Center at
Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City, where she
oversees recruitment and language support programs for Spanish-speaking
participants in clinical studies. She also provides training sessions
for clinical researchers whose studies include non-English-speaking
patients. She serves as Spanish-language consultant to the New York
State Psychiatric Institute and teaches English>Spanish "Translation
in Healthcare," a course at New York University's Center for
Foreign Languages and Translation. She
has lectured extensively about medical translation and culturally-appropriate
research. Before joining Columbia-Presbyterian, she held various
positions with non-governmental organizations carrying out public
health and health-education programs in Africa and Latin America.
She has a master's degree in international studies from the University
of Denver and a Diplôme d'Études Françaises
from the University of Poitiers, France. She studied at the University
of Seville, Spain, and has a BA in Spanish and French from Hunter
College of the City University of New York.
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Medical
Writing: Abbreviations, Symbols, and Units of Measure
Medical records present some special challenges to the translator.
For one, many of these documents are handwritten: progress notes,
doctors orders, and prescriptions. For another, some of the records
are actually transcriptions of information dictated by a physician
while conducting an examination, performing an operation, viewing
tissues, or examining films: autopsy reports, history and physical
examinations, operative reports, and diagnostic studies. Finally,
most laboratory studies and some imaging reports are generated by
equipment.
A
common denominator in these documents is the use of words and phrases,
symbols, and units of measure in abbreviated forms. This “shorthand”
style is understandable since the majority of the documentation
found in a patient’s clinical history is only meant for review by
either the examining physician or other medical personnel. Converting
this documentation into an intelligible and grammatically correct
form for the target audience of our translations requires familiarity
with record formats, an understanding of the information being conveyed,
and recognition of guidelines and rules which govern standardized
medical writing. Some of the details and difficulties in the translation
of medical texts will be highlighted. Suggestions and resources
for successful resolution will be offered.
Michael
Blumenthal
graduated from the University of Michigan with a major in zoology
and a minor in English before receiving his Master's Degree in Biological
Control of Insects from Cornell University. He spent four years
in Colombia where he worked at a research station as a Peace Corps
volunteer. After returning to the U.S. in 1983, he co-founded M&M
Translations, Inc. and currently serves as director. He has worked
for the last 12 years as a full-time Spanish into English translator
for the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services: Disability
Determination Services where he translates medical records and claimant
generated materials.
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Demystifying
Cardiovascular Terminology
Medical
translators frequently encounter terminology related to cardiovascular
tests and procedures in their work. Just what is an occlusion
of the LAD, or an ST segment depression, or decreased
ventricular wall motion? A general understanding of cardiovascular
procedures facilitates an accurate translation. This workshop will
provide information on common cardiovascular tests and procedures
from a layman's perspective. Resources, such as a glossary and websites
for further study, will be provided.
Mary
Esther Diaz,
M.Ed., is a self-employed translator, interpreter, and trainer.
She currently serves as the president of the Austin Area Translators
and Interpreters Association (AATIA), as an executive committee
member of the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care, and
as a member of ATA's Public Relations Committee. She learned Spanish
while living and studying in Mexico for ten years. She is ATA-certified
from Spanish to English and from English to Spanish. She worked
as an in-house medical translator, disability examiner, and training
director for the Texas Rehabilitation Commission where she also
taught medical terminology for 19 years. She has more than 20 years
of experience as a translator and trainer. A co-founder of the AATIA,
she also created the seven-course Translation and Interpretation
Certificate Program at Austin Community College. In addition to
teaching Bridging the Gap for the Cross Cultural Health Care Program,
she has taught interpreter workshops for the Florida Department
of Health and is an adjunct faculty member of Austin Community College
and San Antonio Northwest Vista College. She received her Bachelor
of Arts in Spanish and Master of Education in Adult Education and
Human Resource Development Leadership from the University of Texas
at Austin.
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MultiTerm
Workshop for TRADOS Users
Many translators shy away from using the Terminology Recognition
feature of TRADOS, mainly because MultiTerm's interface is not the
most user-friendly. However, this workshop will show you the "friendly"
side of MultiTerm (versions iX and 7) and teach you the basics to
make it easier to use and make you a more efficient translator.
Attendees
will learn how to:
-
create MultiTerm glossaries from scratch
-
import glossaries from Word and Excel into MultiTerm
-
exchange MultiTerm glossaries with others
-
add new terms directly from Word while translating
A
"MultiTerm Quick Guide" handout will be provided. Novice and experienced
TRADOS users who do not know how to benefit from MultiTerm and the
Terminology Recognition feature of TRADOS should attend.
Tuomas
Kostiainen,
a native of Finland, is an ATA-certified English to Finnish translator
specializing in technical and medical translations. He has a Ph.D.
degree in Entomology (UC Berkeley) and a Master's degree in Agricultural
Sciences (University of Helsinki, Finland). He has served several
years as the language chair and a certification exam grader in the
English to Finnish language group. Currently he also serves as the
president of the Northern California Translators Association (NCTA).
In addition to freelance translation work, he provides TRADOS training
and consultation, and has given several TRADOS presentations and
workshops.
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